Catch up on today's top analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Vipshop (VIPS) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill. 2. Chesapeake (CHK) was upgraded to Equalweight from Underweight and Forum Energy (FET) was upgraded to Overweight from Equalweight at Capital One. 3. Noble Corp. (NE) and Patterson-UTI (PTEN) were upgraded to Neutral from Underperform while Marathon Oil (MRO) and Sasol (SSL) were upgraded to Buy from Neutral at BofA/Merrill. 4. Shenandoah (SHEN) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Raymond James with analyst Ric Prentiss citing valuation, increased visibility into the future of the combined nTelos (NTLS) and Sprint (S) entity, and expectations of further transactions with Sprint that would expand its wireless coverage footprint and serve as a further catalysts for shares. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

09/09/16

WDLK

09/09/16UPGRADETarget $10WDLKBuy

Chesapeake upgraded to Buy from Hold at Wunderlich

Wunderlich analyst Jason Wangler upgraded Chesapeake Energy to Buy saying the company's assets are performing and its balance sheet is improving. The analyst raised his price target for the shares to $10 from $6.

09/09/16

09/09/16UPGRADE

On The Fly: Top five analyst upgrades

Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Chesapeake (CHK) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Wunderlich with analyst Jason Wangler saying the company's assets are performing and its balance sheet is improving. 2. GameStop (GME) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Hilliard Lyons. 3. Finisar (FNSR) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at MKM Partners with analyst Michael Genovese saying he is "extremely upbeat on the Optical components/module industry," and Chinese demand for 10G and 100G Optical modules appears it can stay strong for multiple years. 4. Randgold (GOLD) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at UBS with the firm citing the recent pullback in the shares and the potential for a dividend raise in 2017. 5. Teekay LNG (TGP) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Wells Fargo analyst Michael Webber saying the discount to net asset value and the company's progress around financing its order book make the valuation "particularly compelling." This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

09/13/16

FBRC

09/13/16INITIATIONTarget $5FBRCUnderperform

Chesapeake initiated with an Underperform at FBR Capital

FBR Capital analyst Joseph Allman started Chesapeake Energy with an Underperform rating and $5 price target. The company's "debt and transportation commitments hole still appears too deep to dig out of," Allman tells investors in a research note. He views Chesapeake's equity as "significantly overvalued" and thinks the company's financial condition "will continue to be stressed."

DALDelta Air Lines

$38.94

-0.83 (-2.09%)

10/11/16

BERN

10/11/16INITIATIONBERN

Airlines initiated at Bernstein

Bernstein analyst David Vernon initiated coverage of the U.S. airline sector, saying that he is "bullish on the sector" and asserting that it has "favorable..dynamics." He expects the sector's stocks to have "higher average highs and higher average lows over time," driven partly by its investments in return enhancing programs, revenue enhancing initiatives, and "a stronger outlook for longer term capital return" which isn't reflected in valuation, according to the analyst. Vernon recommends owning airlines that have "less financial and operating leverage." He says that he is "favorably disposed" to Southwest (LUV) and Delta Air Lines (DAL), which he says have high returns and low leverage, and is less upbeat on United Continental (UAL), which he says has higher operating leverage and execution risk. He is bearish on American Airlines (AAL), as he thinks that its capacity growth and financial leverage create significant risk. The analyst started coverage of Southwest with an Outperform rating and a $51 price target. He initiated coverage of Delta and United Continental with Market Perform ratings and $43 and $55 price targets, respectively. He launched American with a $31 price target and Underperform rating.

10/10/16

BERN

10/10/16INITIATIONTarget $43BERNMarket Perform

Delta Air Lines initiated with a Market Perform at Bernstein

Bernstein analyst David Vernon initiated Delta Air Lines with a Market Perform and a $43 price target.

08/24/16

08/24/16INITIATION

On The Fly: Top five analyst initiations

Catch up on today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Lockheed Martin (LMT) reinstated with a Neutral at Goldman. 2. Five Below (FIVE) initiated with a Neutral at BTIG. 3. AMC Entertainment (AMC) and Cinemark (CNK) were initiated with a Buy at Loop Capital while the firm initiated Regal Entertainment (RGC) with a Hold. 4. Delta Air Lines (DAL) initiated with an In-Line at Imperial Capital. 5. LINE Corp. (LN) initiated with a Neutral at JPMorgan. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, Reference Link

08/24/16

IMPC

08/24/16INITIATIONTarget $41IMPCIn-Line

Delta Air Lines initiated with an In-Line at Imperial Capital

Imperial Capital analyst Michael Derchin initiated Delta Air Lines with an In-Line and $41 price target citing the potential impact on UK business travel from Brexit and deteriorating economic, social and terrorism problems in Europe.

LVSLas Vegas Sands

$58.96

-0.11 (-0.19%)

09/14/16

ARGS

09/14/16UPGRADEARGSBuy

Las Vegas Sands upgraded on Macau outlook at Argus

As noted earlier, Argus upgraded Las Vegas Sands to Buy from Hold. Analyst John Staszak notes that Macau gross gaming revenue increased year-over-year last month for the first time in over two years. He says that Macau gambling is shifting towards the non-VIP market, where he believes that Las Vegas Sands is well-positioned. Target $67.

09/14/16

09/14/16UPGRADE

On The Fly: Top five analyst upgrades

Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Macy's (M) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citi with analyst Paul Lejuez saying an attractive free cash flow and dividend yield makes the risk/reward attractive at current levels. 2. Fifth Third (FITB) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Compass Point. 3. F5 Networks (FFIV) upgraded to Outperform from Perform at Oppenheimer with analyst Ittai Kidron saying the company has several potential drivers that could drive year-over-year product revenue growth back into positive territory in fiscal 2017. 4. Las Vegas Sands (LVS) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Argus with analyst John Staszak saying that Macau gambling is shifting towards the non-VIP market, where he believes that Las Vegas Sands is well-positioned. 5. DeVry (DV) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Barrington with analyst Alexander Paris saying management's near-term goal is stabilizing revenue at DeVry University growing enrollment. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

Catch up on today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. IBM (IBM) initiated with a Perform at Oppenheimer. 2. GrubHub (GRUB) initiated with a Hold at Jefferies. 3. Broadwind Energy (BWEN) initiated with an Outperform at Cowen. 4. TPI Composites (TPIC) initiated with an Overweight at JPMorgan, with an Outperform at Cowen, with a Buy at Canaccord, with an Overweight at Morgan Stanley, and with an Outperform at Raymond James. 5. Tableau (DATA) initiated with an Outperform at Oppenheimer. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

Oppenheimer analyst Shaul Eyal is not surprised to see the list of potential Imperva (IMPV) buyer candidates mentioned in an article from Bloomberg, which includes Cisco (CSCO), IBM (IBM), Fortinet (FTNT), Akamai (AKAM), and privately held Forcepoint. The analyst envisions Imperva's product line aligning particularly well with Cisco's and IBM's given the recent drive by both to expand their security offerings. Eyal sees a potential price target ranging between $55-$60 if the speculation has any merit and sufficient interest from multiple bidders. Oppenheimer has an Outperform rating on Imperva's shares.

09/06/16

EVER

09/06/16UPGRADETarget $45EVERBuy

Intel upgraded to Buy from Hold at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI analyst C.J. Muse upgraded Intel (INTC) to Buy and raised his price target for the shares to $45 from $38. The chipmaker closed Friday up 6c to $36.08. Fears of a slowdown in its Server business and sustained weakness in PCs have led Intel shares to underperform peers thus far in 2016, Muse tells investors in a research note. The analyst expects the underperformance to change as the company's Data Center Group segment accelerates to 10%+plus growth in the second half of 2016. Further, Muse thinks Intel's "competitive moat remains" despite potential competition from ARM Holdings (ARMH) and IBM's (IBM) Power9 architecture. He sees 25% upside in Intel shares from current levels.

MOAltria Group

$61.99

0.24 (0.39%)

09/21/16

09/21/16INITIATION

On The Fly: Top five analyst initiations

Catch up on today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Starbucks (SBUX) initiated with a Buy at Longbow. 2. Boston Beer (SAM) initiated with an Outperform at William Blair. 3. Altria Group (MO) was initiated with a Hold at Jefferies while the firm initiated Reynolds American (RAI) with a Buy. 4. Dick's Sporting (DKS) initiated with a Neutral at Guggenheim. 5. E-Trade (ETFC) reinstated with an Outperform at Credit Suisse. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

09/13/16

SBSH

09/13/16INITIATIONTarget $72SBSHBuy

Altria Group initiated with a Buy at Citi

Citi analyst Adam Spielman started Altria Group (MO) with a Buy rating and $72 price target. The analyst expects domestic demand for cigarettes is "likely to remain robust. Spielman prefers shares of Altria and Reynolds American (RAI) to Philip Morris (PM). He initiated this morning Reynolds with a Buy rating and Philip Morris with a Neutral.

09/13/16

09/13/16INITIATION

On The Fly: Top five analyst initiations

Catch up on today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Chevron (CVX) initiated with an Outperform at BMO Capital. 2. AB InBev (BUD) initiated with a Buy at Jefferies. 3. Altria Group (MO) and Reynolds American (RAI) were initiated with a Buy at Citi while the firm initiated Philip Morris (PM) with a Neutral. 4. Under Armour (UA) initiated with a Neutral at Nomura. 5. Xerox (XRX) initiated with a Buy at SunTrust. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

09/21/16

JEFF

09/21/16INITIATIONTarget $70JEFFHold

Altria Group initiated with a Hold at Jefferies

Jefferies analyst Owen Bennett started Altria Group with a Hold rating and $70 price target.

Pivotal Research said recent chatter involving Kroger (KR) and Whole Foods (WFM) follows a steady stream of bogus takeover rumors that seem to surface with little or no reasonable basis. The firm's analyst said this appears to be another head fake that distracts from core challenges facing Whole Foods ahead of 4Q16 results in early November and potential disappointing FY17 guidance. Pivotal said although Whole Foods multiple is not demanding, the extent of a FY17 earnings risk is not fully appreciated by the Street.

09/23/16

LEHM

09/23/16INITIATIONTarget $33LEHMEqual Weight

Kroger initiated with an Equal Weight at Barclays

Barclays analyst Karen Short started Kroger with an Equal Weight rating and $33 price target.

10/07/16

SBSH

10/07/16NO CHANGETarget $39SBSHBuy

Citi says Whole Foods buyout would be uncharacteristic for Kroger

Citi analyst Alvin Concepcion weighs in on the speculation yesterday that Kroger (KR) could be interested in acquiring Whole Foods (WFM) for $40 per share. There are challenges that reduce the likelihood of a deal, and such a transaction could be uncharacteristic for Kroger, Concepcion tells investors in a research note. For one, the acquisition would be expensive, the analyst contends. And two, Kroger would have to lever up to 3.5 times net debt/EBITDA, he adds. The analyst keeps a Buy rating on Kroger with a $39 price target. Whole Foods yesterday closed up 5% to $29.33 amid the takeout rumor.

10/10/16

OPCO

10/10/16NO CHANGEOPCO

Wal-Mart 'starting to get its act together' in grocery, says Oppenheimer

After attending Wal-Mart's (WMT) analyst day meeting, Oppenheimer analyst Rupesh Parikh admitted he did not previously look favorably upon the company's strategy to expand into Neighborhood Market and smaller format stores, but he now sees signs that the company is "starting to get its act together in grocery." If Wal-Mart follows through with grocery price investments, it could hurt Kroger (KR), Smart & Final Stores (SFS) and Supervalu (SVU) and be an "indirect negative" for Sprouts Farmers Markets (SFM), Parikh tells investors. However, he also added that he remains confident in the ability of Kroger's management team to at least hold share.

UBS analyst Brent Thill raised his price target on Symantec to $28 from $25 following meetings with management. The analyst said the meetings bolstered his bullish view, as he sees stronger technological resonance, plenty of revenue and cost synergies, and improved competitive positioning in the cyber landscape. Thill reiterated his Buy rating on Symantec shares.

09/15/16

09/15/16INITIATION

On The Fly: Top five analyst initiations

Catch up on today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. PayPal (PYPL) initiated with a Buy at Craig-Hallum. 2. Patterson-UTI (PTEN) initiated with a Buy at DA Davidson. 3. Symantec (SYMC) initiated with a Buy at Guggenheim. 4. Alexion (ALXN) initiated with an Underperform at FBR Capital. 5. Helmerich & Payne (HP) initiated with a Buy at DA Davidson. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

09/13/16

WDLK

09/13/16UPGRADETarget $30WDLKBuy

Symantec upgraded to Buy from Hold at Wunderlich

Wunderlich analyst Ryan Macdonald upgraded Symantec to Buy and raised his price target for the shares to $30 from $23.

LPLALPL Financial

$33.01

2.12 (6.86%)

10/12/16

RHCO

10/12/16NO CHANGETarget $35RHCONeutral

Strategic buyer could pay up to $40 per share for LPL Financial, says SunTrust

After Reuters reported that LPL Financial has hired an investment bank to explore a possible sale, SunTrust analyst Douglas Mewhirter said he believes that a strategic buyer would be able to pay $40 per share and still get an acceptable return. Mewhirter increased his price target on LPL shares to $35 from $30 to reflects a 50% chance of a deal closing at $40 within 12 months and keeps a Hold rating on the shares, which rose 6.9% yesterday to close at $33.01.

10/12/16

WELS

10/12/16NO CHANGEWELSMarket Perform

Wells doesn't see many 'obvious buyers' of LPL Financial

Wells Fargo analyst Christopher Harris found the Reuters article saying LPL Financial (LPLA) hired Goldman Sachs (GS) to explore strategic alternatives as a surprise. Recent actions by the company, including a levered stock buyback in December, would seem to suggest a focus on remaining independent, Harris tells investors in a research note. The analyst doesn't see "too many obvious" buyers of the company and thinks investors should not chase the stock on the Reuters story. A private equity transaction would be complicated by the fact that LPL is already fairly levered, the analyst contends. He keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares. JPMorgan this morning downgraded LPL to Neutral.

10/12/16

JPMS

10/12/16DOWNGRADETarget $31JPMSNeutral

LPL Financial downgraded to Neutral from Overweight at JPMorgan

JPMorgan analyst Kenneth Worthington downgraded LPL Financial to Neutral saying the share rally on takeover speculation provides an opportunity to exit the name. LPL has the potential to be an attractive buyout target, but any deal would come with "significant 'baggage,'" Worthington tells investors in a research note. The legal liability could be material in front of the implementation of new Department of Labor rules, the analyst contends. Worthington raised his price target for LPL shares to $31 from $30.

09/26/16

MSCO

09/26/16INITIATIONTarget $27MSCOUnderweight

LPL Financial initiated with an Underweight at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley analyst Michael Cyprys initiated LPL Financial with an Underweight and a $27 price target. The analyst expects LPL to be pressured by the DOL Fiduciary Rule which could accelerate the shift towards lower cost asset fee-based products and away from transaction based economics.

Catch up on today's top five analyst initiations with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Chesapeake Utilities (CPK) initiated with a Neutral at Ladenburg. 2. CONSOL (CNX) initiated with a Neutral at Goldman. 3. Johnson Controls (JCI) assumed with an Equal Weight at Barclays. 4. American Midstream Partners (AMID) initiated with a Buy at Janney Capital. 5. Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP) coverage resumed with an Outperform at Wells Fargo. This list is just a portion of The Fly's analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

Catch up on today's top five analyst downgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) downgraded to Sell from Hold at Argus with analysts John Eade and Katelyn Bayone citing the company's third quarter miss and what they see as its "challenging sales outlook for the remainder of the year." 2. Duluth Holdings (DLTH) downgraded to Hold from Buy at Stifel and to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair. 3. DAVIDsTEA (DTEA) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at BMO Capital and to Market Perform from Outperform at William Blair. 4. Hilton (HLT) downgraded to Outperform from Buy at CLSA with analyst Jon Oh citing valuation. 5. Horizon Pharma (HZNP) downgraded to Neutral from Buy at Mizuho. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.

Catch up on today's top five analyst upgrades with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. AstraZeneca (AZN) upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at Leerink with analyst Seamus Fernandez saying the recent weakness in shares provides an "excellent entry point" ahead of several critical pipeline events that have the potential "to transform this giant into an exciting growth story." 2. Autodesk (ADSK) upgraded to Buy from Hold at Canaccord with analyst Richard Davis citing expectations for improved free cash flow, as he sees a path to $6 in FCF by 2020 and $11 per share in 2022. 3. Eaton (ENT) upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JPMorgan with analyst Ann Duignan saying optionality of the company's balance sheet should offset broad weakness across its end markets. 4. Fluor (FLR) upgraded to Buy from Neutral at Citi with analyst Andrew Kaplowitz saying the company is positioned to outperform given amid oil and gas capex stabilization, a lift off the bottom in mining off the bottom and "muted" 2017 expectations. 5. Sysco (SYY) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at Goldman. This list is just a portion of The Fly's full analyst coverage. To see The Fly's full Street Research coverage, click here.